AALIYAH poll

"gorgeous dramatic, sultry rn'b trumps" is a perfect description of the song imo

trumps

"What If" deserved a vote, too.

most of these songs did

Yeah the only one of these I can't remember off the top of my head as being awesome is "It's Whatever."

that song is supersexy

i played "it's whatever" 5 times in a row in the car the other day, the production on that is so huge

the "it's whatever"/"i can be"/"those were the days" section is massively underrated

"We Need A Resolution", "Rock The Boat", "Never No More", "I Care 4 U" and "It's Whatever" are my favourites here, though everything is awesome.

behind the scenes of this album, really amazing detail here - http://youknowigotsoul.com/?p=11345

woah

It’s funny because a lot of things that we would just around and joke about, they found their way into becoming a song, so that happened a lot on that album. We would just sit around and talk about various things and they would end up becoming songs.”

feels like a lost art across the board really

OMG thanks so much. Seriously not even sure if I'm ready to read this right now. Easily my favourite album of all time. Means so much to me.

K maybe I'll put "It's Whatever" on repeat and tackle this article.

Wonderful read, hands down.

Black: “We were always in the studio back in the day. Nowadays, you’ll go in for a specific time, but back then, we were locking out studios for months at a time, so the hangout spot would be the studio.”

^^this feels interesting

Very VERY much reminds me of how the Associates recorded Sulk via block-booking and random inspiration.

That alternate version of 'More Than a Woman' is awesome.

the album is 10 years old today. still sounds like one of the greatest things ever.

rip babygirl

Best album ever.

so many of my favorite albums are 10 today

er, this year

Pretty sure I voted "We Need a Resolution," but "Rock the Boat" eclipses it on hot summer days.

To answer the poll: 1. It's Whatever 2. Never No More 3. Rock the Boat

1. "I Care 4 U" 2. "I Refuse" 3. "Rock the Boat"

"I Care 4 U" still brings me to tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuWMW7hVdTs

i know this isn't from this record but i used to watch this video all the time on mtv back in the day

so many of these are just always listenable

extra extra extra smooth

"it's whatever" 4 all time man

yeah it is

man i was like, 11 or 12 when these singles were coming out

such a stupid and preventable fucking death

if I was forced by gunpoint to pick a favorite song ever I could choose "rock the boat" and be happy w/ that choice

this is one of those albums where i want to like... watch a feature length documentary on it

for some reason i don't have strong memories of her death, though i do remember her owning the music video channels i'd watch at summer camp for a minute there

i remember where i was when i heard about it but i didn't really grasp the impact of it at all

I remember I was watching MTV late at night and it scrolled across the bottom of the screen.. I was like WTF and didn't believe it until the next day, when it was a big deal everywhere.

i was in oxford hmv, on the phone to a friend, and i had to go and take a moment in the dvd aisle (which, back then, was the empty niche corner of the shop).

"i care 4 u" is my favourite on this album but i can't really imagine living without any of them.

I don't think I can ever listen to "Rock the Boat" enough or too much.

^^ her best single. More flippy floppy drums plz

yeah that song is just absolutely perfect in every way

It works the middle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ZsEEPo_Tw

tbh what a fucking record

people in the pfork thread complaining about it getting a 9.3: you're right, it deserves a 10

Every song that got zero in this poll is amazing, esp. "Never No More", "U Got Nerve", "It's Whatever" and "I Can Be". There's a voluptuousness to the production that really feels like the last word on that era of R&B (and chronologically it kind of was: by 2002 it felt like Murder Inc's neo-classicism was the dominant sound).

Obviously the central tragedy of Aaliyah passing is the loss of Aaliyah herself, but one of the apparent side-effects was that it seemed to kill Key Beats' career stone-dead. I remember being so excited about their sound based on Destiny's Child's "Perfect Man" and "Independent Women Part II" and then all their work on this album.

on spotify today. still sounds like the future

It does sound great. Really wish I had held onto the promo CD that was in my sort-of possession at the time... oh well

Finally, I can place the proper "Rock the Boat" in all my playlists!